Chapter 3

"Are we out of anything else?" Obi-Wan asked.

Luna poked through the storage cabinet in the kitchen area and took stock of their supplies. "No, I think that's it. I wish we could get some Jogan fruit. I think I miss that more than anything on this planet." Fresh produce was hard to come by on Tatooine and, when it was available, was very expensive. We really should look into planting a garden, she thought to herself.

"I'll see what I can find in town."

"Alright." A look of concern crossed her features. The last time they went to Anchorhead there had been a few storm troopers in the cantina. According to rumor, they were just passing through on their way to Mos Eisley, but it was still too close for comfort. He seemed to read her mind.

"Don't worry my darling. I'll be back before the first sun sets. Hopefully with Jogan fruit." He kissed her lightly and teased, "I think I can handle a few storm troopers if it comes to that. I was a Jedi master after all."

Luna looked skeptical for a moment and then threw her arms around him possessively. "I know, but you're MY Jedi master."

….

Obi-Wan packed the last of the supplies into the speeder and placed a small crate of jogan fruit on top. It had taken his best negotiating skills, but he'd finally managed to talk the shop keeper into selling him the fruit for price that wasn't flat out robbery. Luna would be thrilled. He whistled a happy tune as he imagined her reaction and was just about to get behind the controls when he stopped. A presence he hadn't felt in many years touched him. Could it be?

He spotted her across the street, the shocked expression on her face matched his own. After all that had happened, he was sure he would never see her again. As soon as their eyes met, she ran over and threw her arms around him.

"Master Obi-Wan, I thought you were dead."

Even though he wasn't much for public displays of affection, he warmly returned her hug. "Shhh…it's Ben now." He whispered, taking a quick peek around to make sure no-one had seen their interaction. "I'm afraid I thought the same of you, but I'm certainly pleased to be wrong! What are you doing here Ashoka?"

"I…I can't tell you here. Is there somewhere we can talk?"

A few minutes later, they were seated in the far back corner of Anchorhead's cantina. Obi-Wan ordered them both a drink and then turned his attention fully on Ashoka. She looked well, but older and much wiser. There was a world weary sadness in her eyes that hadn't been there before. He thought of the life she must have endured since leaving the Order and then stopped himself. If Ashoka had stayed, she probably would be dead along with countless other Jedi. The terrible ordeal she had gone through being falsely accused of the Temple bombing had in actuality been her salvation and yet another example of how the Force often worked in unexpected ways.

"Ashoka Tano." He still could hardly believe his eyes. "I must say seeing you here is quite a surprise. I often wondered what happen to you after…" He left the sentence unfinished. Guilt about how the Jedi Council had treated her had plagued him for a long time. He had believed she was innocent and tried to get the others to support her, but in the end had been out voted and she had been asked to leave.

She studied him over the rim of her glass as she took a sip. "I did some exploring in the lower levels of Coruscant for a while and met a lot of new people." She shrugged. "I learned a lot and made some mistakes. It's amazing, even though I fought in a war when I was 14, there were so many things I didn't know. We led such a sheltered existence as far as the way regular people live. Anyway, I was just starting to find my way when Order 66 happened. I felt so many die…" She stopped to collect herself and then, and squaring her shoulders, she asked him the question he'd been dreading ever since he saw her.

"Did Anakin…?" She tried not to look hopeful, but Obi-Wan could see it in her eyes anyway.

He shook his head and looked away. Tears welled up in her eyes and she quickly dashed them away. "I thought so, but when I saw you I hoped he made it somehow. It's odd, with all the others I felt their lives end like so many candles being snuffed out. There was a finality to it that I didn't feel with Anakin. We had such a strong bond…I sometimes think I can feel him still but I suppose it's just my imagination. I have a recurring dream about him that haunts me. He is calling out for help in agony, like he's buried alive but no matter where I look I can't find him. It's like he's right there, but the darkness surrounding him is so suffocating I can't see. It's horrible."

Obi-Wan didn't know what to say. If only she knew. However, he couldn't bring himself to tell her that her former Master whom she had once idolized was now one of the most evil men in the galaxy.

"He was so proud of you, you know. He bragged about you constantly. It was quite unbecoming of a Jedi."

Ashoka smiled. "I'll never forget him."

It was high time to change the subject Obi-Wan thought. "So, what brings you to Tatooine?"

She looked around, making sure no one was near enough to hear. "Rebellion."

"Rebellion?" A thrill of excitement washed over Obi-Wan. He had heard whispers about small pockets of rebels working together against the Empire.

"A few months after the fall of the Rebublic and Order 66, an inquisitor found me. I was still on Coruscant hiding out in the lower levels, when he came to the door of the place I was staying. He gave me the choice of either joining the dark side and working for Palpatine, or death. Of course I refused. I may not be a Jedi, but I would never help the Emperor. Anyway, we fought, and I killed him. After that I ran, but along the way I managed to find some new friends who are working together to destroy the Empire. Most of what we do is small for now, but if we can get enough momentum, maybe we can inspire others to join our cause. I'm on a mission for them now."

"I see." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "What is your mission?"

"I'm here to secure a shipment of arms. We got a big donation from a wealthy supporter of our cause and our leader used the credits to purchase blasters from Jabba the Hutt. I am supposed to protect our buyer during the transaction and make sure everything goes according to plan."

He nodded.

"I could use some help, if you are available." She looked at him hopefully, and then shook her head. "If you're not too busy that is." She looked around the seedy cantina. "Is there any particular reason you're here on Tatooine other than it's a good place to disappear?"

He decided to be as honest as he could. He debated telling her about Luke, but quickly decided against it. It was far too risky. If she was involved in the rebellion, she might be caught. "I wish I could tell you Ashoka, but I'm not at liberty to say. The only information I can give you is that it is vitally important that I remain hidden for now. No one can know I am here."

She nodded and looked disappointed.

"I would, however, relish a chance to take a swipe at the Empire even from this far away place. When and where do you pick up those blasters?"

…

Obi-Wan took another look at himself in the mirror and ran a hand over his freshly shaved face. He hadn't been clean shaven since he was a padawan and it felt odd. Luna had insisted that if he was going with Ashoka he had to disguise himself. He supposed it wasn't a bad idea. There was a bounty on his head after all, and Mos Espa was a much larger city. The chances of being recognized were significantly higher there than out here in the desert. He splashed on a little aftershave lotion and exited the refresher.

Luna looked up from her data pad and giggled. "You look about 18."

"I beg your pardon! You are the one who insisted that I do this in the first place." He feigned indignation.

"Well, maybe not quite18, but definitely a lot younger. It makes you look much different."

"Yes, it's different alright. I feel half naked." He grumbled and crossed his arms.

"Oh, come on. Don't pout. It'll grow back." She came over for a closer inspection and softly stroked her knuckles over his now bare cheek. He shivered at the new sensation. "I like it. It's kinda sexy…" Her eyes twinkled.

He raised an eyebrow and looked highly suspicious. "Sexy?"

"Yes, sexy! It's almost like you're a different person."

"You want to be with a different person?!"

"No, no, no you silly man! I only ever want to be with you." She stood on her toes and kissed him sweetly. "It's just that this is a different version of you that I've never seen before and that is very, very sexy."

He grinned and suddenly picked her up. By reflex, her legs wrapped around his waist and he carried her out the front door.

"What are you doing?" She laughed.

"I want to watch the suns set. I always miss that when I'm not here, and I won't be able to see it with you for a few weeks."

"Do you really think this is a good idea? I know you want to help your friend, but what if someone recognizes you?"

"I need to do this Luna. Ashoka would be fine on her own, I'm sure. She's certainly more than capable of taking care of things herself. But, I can't help but think that if circumstances were different and I hadn't vowed to stay and protect Luke I would be right in the middle of the Rebellion. I want to help, and this is something I can do from here."

She nodded. "I understand. Just be careful, please!"

"I will. You know what a cautious fellow I am." It was so nice to have someone who supported his decisions and understood him. Force he loved her!

The suns had just dipped below the horizon and the sky was a sea of glorious red, pink and gold clouds. They watched in silence as the sky slowly darkened and the stars came out. Finally it started to get chilly, and Luna stood to go back inside.

"Are you coming? I want to make the most of our last night for a while." She laughed, as she looked at him again in the light. "Goodness you look young! Maybe we shouldn't after all…I might get in trouble for corrupting a minor!"

Obi-Wan gave her a dirty look. "Very funny. I doubt you would have liked me at that age anyway."

Luna grinned. "I bet you were adorable. You were the bookish studious type weren't you? Too busy saving the galaxy to make time for any girls, huh?"

It was slightly embarrassing to admit it, but she was basically spot on in her assessment.

"There's nothing wrong with being studious I'll have you know. I did end up on the Jedi High Council after all." he said. When he was a padawan, there had been hours of study, hard work, and sparing. And, while the others in his age group were busy sneaking out of the temple late at night looking for ways to get into trouble, he always followed the rules to the letter. Then he remembered something and added, "I might not have made time for any girls, but I certainly spent more than my fair share of time thinking about them. I dealt with as many raging hormones as the next teenaged boy."

"I'll just bet you did!" She teased him. "So tell me, what was your favorite fantasy back then?"

That was easy. One day, not long after being chosen as Qui-Gon's apprentice, he'd gone looking for some of his former clan members to see if any of them had time to spar. He couldn't find them anywhere. Finally he discovered them in one of the courtyards standing around looking at something and glancing up occasionally to see if anyone was coming. He called out to them, "Hey, what are you doing?"

"SHHHHH!" They all motioned for him to be quiet. "Obi-Wan! Come look at this!" his friend Garen Muln whispered.

"What are you…OH!" His eyes bugged out. The boys were passing around a holozine filled with naked women. Currently they were looking at a side-view of a very well-endowed green Twi'lek who was looking back at them over her shoulder seductively.

"Pretty hot, huh?" Garen asked. He nodded. Yes, she was beautiful, but the next page contained a holovid that fueled his teenaged fantasies for years until he met Satine. It was a human woman. She lay on a bed in a bra and panties and as they watched, began running her hands over her body. This continued for quiet a while until she removed her bra and slipped one hand into her panties gasping with pleasure. His mouth went dry and his pants were suddenly uncomfortably tight. Just then a throat cleared. They looked up to see Master Qui-Gon standing a few feet away with his arms crossed. Nobody had heard him approach, but he had obviously seen the whole thing and knew exactly what they were doing. Garen slammed the holozine shut and they all looked at the ground shame-faced.

"Don't you boys have something better to do?"

They all scattered and were gone as fast as their legs could carry them leaving Obi-Wan to face the music alone.

Embarrassment didn't even begin to describe how he felt. He waited for lecture but it never came. To his surprise, Qui-Gon wasn't angry.

"Look, Obi-Wan, I'm not upset. It's natural to be curious about sex at your age. If you weren't I'd be concerned." He was still too mortified to say anything. Qui-Gon continued, "But you do need to understand that women aren't really like that. Those pictures are all manipulated. Someday when you're older you can experience the real thing with an actual women and it will be amazing, but don't fill your head with that rot in the meantime." He nodded mutely, red as an acid-beet.

"Now get out of here. Do two extra rounds of sparing with a training droid and we'll forget this ever happened."

He'd breathed a sigh of relief, and tried to forget about it, but that night visions of the woman from the holovid woke him from his sleep. What would she have done if he'd kept watching? What would she look like without her panties on? He spent quite a while in an increasingly uncomfortable state of arousal until he figured out the remedy for that particular problem.

He recounted all this to Luna who couldn't stop giggling. "You poor thing! It still amazes me when you tell me these kinds of things about your life in the Temple. I guess the Jedi are just like everyone else after all."

"Of course we are. Were." He shook his head. "You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do." She smiled at him indulgently and wiggled her eyebrows at him. "Alright then padawan Kenobi, give me a few minutes alone and then come back."

"What for?"

"Tonight is your lucky night. Your fantasy is about to come true."

…..

He entered the room and blinked. The lights were dimmed, and there in the middle of the bed was Luna in gorgeous black lace lingerie. Her dark hair, which was usually tied up because of the heat, lay in waves around her. Suddenly, her hands began to move. Slowly she caressed her body and removed her bra, her fingers tracing lazy circles around her nipples which hardened into stiff peaks. Obi-Wan was rooted to the spot, unable to look away from the beautiful sight before him.

She looked straight at him as she continued teasing her breasts while one hand slipped under the edge of her panties. "Mmmmm…." she sighed as her eyes drifted shut. Her hips made small tight circles and he could see her fingers moving.

Slowly she slid the lacy panties off and lay bare before him. A knowing smile crossed her face and her fingers started their dance again. "Oh, Obi-Wan!" she gasped. It was too much for him. He crossed the floor shedding his clothes as he went and knelt on the floor beside the bed. Grabbing her feet he pulled her towards him.

"What are you doing?" She asked, surprised by his sudden movements.

"I forgot to tell you, this was the next part of my fantasy." He looked up at her from between her legs and began placing lingering kisses on her thighs. Each one brought him closer and closer to his ultimate goal. The gasps and moans she made became louder and more urgent until she came hard on his mouth. Still not willing to let her go, he continued his ministrations until she became too sensitive and pulled his hair to make him stop.

Obi-Wan took her in his arms, enjoying the way she shivered against him. Finally she spoke.

"I thought this was supposed to be your sexual fantasy, not mine!"

He chuckled. "It was. That was incredible. Qui-Gon was right, you know. Watching you like that was far, far better than anything in a holozine."

She looked at him, a soft beautiful light glowing in her eyes and smiled. "Make love to me." she whispered.

Hours later, they lay asleep in a tangle of limbs exhausted from their exertions. Something woke him briefly. A small flash of light in the Force pricked at his mind, but then subsided as quickly as it had come. He wondered at it, but sensing nothing unusual, went back to sleep again pulling Luna's warm soft body close in his arms. Morning was coming far too soon.